GLIN==> Corps to Raise Parameters at Electric Dispersal Barriers, Evidence Confirms Barrier Effectiveness

For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2011
Contact: Jacqueline Tate
(513) 684-3010
(513) 265-7057
Jacqueline.y.Tate at usace.army.mil
 
Lynne Whelan
(312) 846-5330
(312) 404-0145
Lynne.E.Whelan at usace.army.mil 
 
 
 
Corps to Raise Parameters at Electric Dispersal Barriers, Evidence Confirms
Barrier Effectiveness
 
As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to pursue all actions needed to
contain the Asian carp th reat below the electric fish barrier in the Chicago
Area Waterway System (CAWS), today the agency announced plans to increase the
operating parameters of the fish dispersal barrier to slightly higher
operating parameters. The increase will occur this fall. The Corps released
an Optimal Operating Parameters Report including the safety tests
<http://distribution.mymediainfo.com/lists/lt.php?id=fB8BAlBXCVMDSAEMUw1bTgBU
V1UIAg%3D%3D> used to inform the decision to raise the operating parameters,
along with two additional reports: the Independent External Peer Review
(IEPR) to test for Asian carp environmental DNA (eDNA)
<http://distribution.mymediainfo.com/lists/lt.php?id=fB8BAlBXCVMMSAEMUw1bTgBU
V1UIAg%3D%3D> and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Scoping Report
for the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS)
<http://distribution.mymediainfo.com/lists/lt.php?id=fB8BAlBXCVMNSAEMUw1bTgBU
V1UIAg%3D%3D> . 
 
While extensive research and monitoring indicate that small Asian carp
currently are not currently within the vicinity of the fish barrier, and all
field telemetry research indicates the barrier is highly effective, the Corps
is taking this conservative approach to operating the electrical dispersal
barrier out of an abundance of caution. 
 
The Efficacy Study Interim Report IIA, one of three updates released by the
Corps today, assesses the safety and effectiveness of the barrier at these
higher operating parameters. The aspect of the report regarding safety
summarizes a series of in-water tests on the barrier that include addressing
field-strength mapping, sparking potential during barge fleeting and
collision, voltage potentials between barges traversing the barriers,
personnel in-water shock potential, stray-current corrosion potential, and
optimal settings for the parasitic barrier system.
 
The testing shows there is no appreciable increase in risk to public safety
with an increase of operational parameters from the current settings of 2.0
volts per inch, 15 hertz and 6.5 millisecond pulse to the new settings of 2.3
volts per inch, 30 hertz, and 2.5 millisecond pulse length. However, it also
shows that operating barriers IIA and IIB concurrently increase the area of
risk for a person in the water and an increased po tential for sparking in
adjacent fleeting areas. The Corps does not intend to operate Barriers IIA
and IIB simultaneously.
 
"The Corps is committed to operating the barriers safely and effectively,"
said Major General John Peabody, Commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River
Division. "We will continue to work with the Coast Guard and other members of
the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee to ensure safe navigation,
assess the Asian carp threat, and make informed decisions regarding barrier
operations."
 
As part of an aggressive monitoring program, the Corps has expanded the use
of ultrasonic telemetry to determine fish behavior near the electric fields.
To date the Corps has tracked nearly 1.9M detections of tagged fish in the
barrier area, with no indication of tagged fish having crossed any of the
electric barriers in the upst ream direction. Between July 5 and August 11,
2011, our stationary receivers no longer detected one of the 166 transmitter
tags. On August 11, the tag reappeared stationary approximately two miles
above the fish barrier and has remained there since. Because the tag was not
detected by any of the 12 intervening receivers, Corps biologists conclude
that this tagged fish did not swim upstream through the barrier. In addition,
a small fish telemetry project has supported the conclusion that no fish are
able to move through the barrier in the upstream direction. In June 2011,
Corps biologists tagged and released 14 small non-Asian carp fish above and
below Barrier IIB. Of the six fish released above the barrier, two did pass
downstream through both arrays of Barrier IIB, which appears to have
occurred, as a result, of being immobilized by the electrical current. Two
fish moved down into the electric array of Barrier IIB and remained there.
The fish have most li kely died since movement has not been detected since.
The last two fish moved upstream away from the barriers.

In addition, the Corps released today the Independent External Peer Review
(IEPR) for testing for Asian Carp environmental DNA (eDNA). The panel
determined that the eDNA sampling and testing methodology is sound for
detecting silver and bighead carp DNA but confirmed that the eDNA technology
cannot indicate the source of Asian carp DNA. The Corps and its multi-agency
partners of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) have been
using the surveillance tool to detect the genetic presence of invasive
bighead and silver carp DNA near the CAWS. 
 
The IEPR also determined the eDNA methodology has a number of advantages and
limitations. Advantages include sample collection can occur over a large area
and very rapidly, cost pe r sample is relatively low, and eDNA sampling
allows for coverage over a larger area than traditional fishing methods
allow. The limitations include that eDNA does not provide conclusive proof of
the physical presence of live fish, does not provide information on the size
or age of fish that may be present, and presents a time delay of 7-10 days
inherent between collection of water samples and processing for eDNA. The
Corps adopted seven of the eight recommendations of the IEPR panel, mostly
related to additional research. The one recommendation not adopted had to do
with research to distinguish hybrids of silver and bighead carp, which is not
necessary for current management purposes. 
 
Despite the limitations of eDNA, the ACRCC will continue to use it to inform
decisions related to more traditional monitoring methods such as fishing,
netting, and electro fishing operations. 
 
The final document released today is the NEPA Scoping report, an interim
product to the GLMRIS. The report documents the methods and procedures
followed during the scoping process, as well as summarizing the comments
received. The GLMRIS team will use the document to assess topics of interest
in order to inform the scope of the study progress.

All of the documents are available on the Chicago District Web site at
www.lrc.usace.army.mil
<http://distribution.mymediainfo.com/lists/lt.php?id=fB8BAlBXCVwESAEMUw1bTgBU
V1UIAg%3D%3D> . The NEPA final report is available on the GLMRIS website at
www.glmris.anl.gov
<http://distribution.mymediainfo.com/lists/lt.php?id=fB8BAlBXCVwFSAEMUw1bTgBU
V1UIAg%3D%3D> . For additional information, please contact the Chicago
District Public Affairs Office at (312) 846-5330.
 
 
	
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